White House Farmhouse and attached buildings, Brinsop and Wormsley, County of Herefordshire

Summary

Farmhouse and attached buildings dating to at least the C17, with a possible earlier core, with substantial C18 fabric and C19 and C20 alterations.

Description

Farmhouse and attached buildings dating to at least the C17, with a possible earlier core, with substantial C18 fabric and C19 and C20 alterations.

MATERIALS: the farmhouse has a timber frame, largely refaced in red brick, with sandstone dressings and brick stacks. The roof is covered in slate and modern concrete tiles. The attached buildings are timber framed and sandstone rubble or brick, with early-C21 weatherboarding to the gable ends of the cider house and the wain house.

PLAN: the buildings have an irregular rectangular plan and are aligned north-east to south-west. The farmhouse is located centrally, with the attached cider house which follows the same alignment to the north-east. The bake house is attached to the south-west elevation of the house and is a continuation of the south-east or garden elevation. The wain house, which is also attached to the south-west side of the farmhouse, is parallel to the bake house and is separated from it by a narrow courtyard. It breaks forward of the front (north-west) elevation of the farmhouse.

EXTERIOR: the farmhouse and attached buildings are set back from the road and are surrounded by former agricultural buildings. The farmhouse is predominately of two storeys, with the principal façade to the north-west. The house is arranged into three ranges comprising a central range and flanking two-and-a-half-storey, gabled cross wings. Within the principal (north-west) elevation the central bay has been extended flush with the flanking gables of the cross wings, but the garden (south-east) elevation remains recessed. The windows are all timber casements and there is a six-panelled, early-C19 entrance door in a later enclosed porch to the front (north-west) elevation of the northern cross wing. A string course of projecting bricks divides the storeys of the cross wings, which also have stone quoins to the outer corners. The southern cross wing has been raised and a two-light timber casement window has been inserted within the attic storey of its north-west gable. The bake house is attached to the south-west side of the farmhouse, and is a low, one-and-a-half-storey structure which is largely built of stone rubble with a partially brick-built principal façade. It has dormers and clay pantile roof. To the north-west of this is the timber-framed wain house which has a close-studded timber frame with weatherboarding and inserted windows. Attached to the north-east elevation of the farmhouse is the two-storey former cider house with a sandstone rubble ground floor and timber-framed upper level.

INTERIOR: from the garden front (south-east elevation) the farmhouse is accessed via a doorway within the central range which leads into a hallway. To the south is the kitchen which contains a large fireplace for a range. The range itself has been removed, but is preserved within the utility room in the bake house. The principal rooms to the north-west and south-west of the hallway have exposed timber ceiling beams which terminate short of the north-west side of these rooms, and a carved timber within one of the walls rises through the first floor. The ceiling at first-floor level has been raised in the south-east range and small C19 fireplaces have been inserted within the bedrooms. Beneath the current roof of the farmhouse, within the central range, are the remains of earlier roof timbers which include two chamfered principal rafters. These span a narrower distance than the current roof and indicate that the central range has been extended to the north-east. Internally the bake house retains a bread oven.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: in front of the farmhouse is a boundary wall of red brick which is capped in stone, and in places, cement render. It has a modern timber pedestrian gate. To the rear (south-east) of the farmhouse is a C19 cast-iron water pump.

History

White House Farmhouse has evolved over many centuries and principally comprises a timber-framed building which is faced in later brick. The timber-framed structure is likely to date from at least the C17, although it appears to incorporate an earlier core, perhaps dating from the C15. The structure was refaced in C18 brick and subject to further alteration in the C19 which included the raising of the ceilings in the south-east cross wing and the insertion of C19 fireplaces. The whole complex was subject to alteration in the 1980s when it was converted into a pub and associated time-share accommodation, but was renovated and restored to a private dwelling from about 2005 onwards.

Reasons for Listing

White House Farmhouse and attached buildings, dating to the C17, with a possible earlier core; substantial C18 fabric, and C19 and C20 alterations are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a group of domestic and agricultural vernacular buildings which have good levels of survival, both internally and externally;
* the development of the farmhouse remains legible since it retains evidence for historic alterations which speak clearly of its evolution and the changing needs of its occupants.

Historic interest:

* the house clearly reflects aspects of the changing pattern and form of rural domestic buildings over time.

External Links

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